Felipe Oliveira Baptista steps down as creative director of Lacoste

Felipe Oliveira Baptista is stepping down from the role of creative director of Lacoste, after helming the French label for eight years.

Baptista, who is a two-time winner of the Andam prize and a Kingston University graduate took over from Christophe Lemaire in August 2010. He mixed sportswear with current trends replacing the iconic crocodile of the French fashion house with endangered species for charity and presented his first designs for Lacoste for Spring/Summer 2012.

Prior to Lacoste, Baptista had a couture and ready-to-wear company with his wife Severine that was formally recognized by the French Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture and won the most important fashion award during the Hyeres Festival in 2002.

'Eight incredible years made possible with the talent and support of everyone at Lacoste, specially the great design studio. Also, all the amazing pattern cutters, machinists, artists, photographers, stylists, stylists' assistants, producers, set designers, sound designers, musicians, film directors, casting directors, hair stylists, make-up artists, models, PRs, creative directors, graphic designers, fashion designers, brands, advertising agencies, journalists, writers, actors, choreographers, dancers, athletes and most of all my partner in crime and everything else: Sevi,' Baptista said in an Instagram post.

'We are very grateful to him for contributing to the artistic and commercial development of our brand. A new stage will now open and I am extremely confident in the future successes of our brand, emblematic of French know-how and elegance,' Thierry Guibert, CEO of the Lacoste Group, said in a statement.

The Spring / Summer 2019 collection that will be shown next week in Paris during fashion week, will be Baptista's latest collection.

Follow Fashion Model Directory on Pinterest, Facebook, Linked In and Twitter!